{"id":429496,"date":"2026-01-24T04:28:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T04:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/429496\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T04:28:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T04:28:07","slug":"wheel-of-fortunes-first-millionaire-says-1m-prize-didnt-go-as-far-as-fans-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/429496\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Wheel of Fortune’s\u2019 first millionaire says $1M prize didn\u2019t go as far as fans think"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spinning into seven figures on \u201cWheel of Fortune<\/a>\u201d may sound like a life-changing dream \u2014 but the show\u2019s first millionaire says the aftermath didn\u2019t bring the kind of instant luxury most people would imagine.<\/p>\n

In 2008, the wheel stopped at a moment that would change the show\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Michelle Loewenstein, now Michelle Moore, was the first contestant to score the million-dollar <\/a>mark on \u201cWheel of Fortune,\u201d as she walked away with $1,026,800 just days after returning from her honeymoon.<\/p>\n

When the\u00a0New Jersey native\u00a0and former floral designer landed the spin, she said the reality of the win was far more practical \u2014 and far less glamorous \u2014 than most fans would imagine.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, because I mean, let\u2019s be honest, you don\u2019t get the full amount of money. So, a million dollars, it doesn\u2019t really go that far,\u201d Moore exclusively told Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moore said the money went toward practical expenses rather than luxury.<\/p>\n

She emphasized that the winnings were used responsibly, noting that the money largely went toward paying off financial obligations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I paid off some student loans and bills \u2026 bought a car,\u201d she said, adding that much of it was saved and invested for a future home.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s not as much as you would think,\u201d she added, pointing to the reality of living in California, where she eventually moved, noting that \u201ceverything\u2019s more expensive out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michelle Moore, who was the first millionaire on \u201cWheel of Fortune,\u201d said that the aftermath of winning the grand prize didn\u2019t lead to the kind of luxury most people would expect. Wheel of Fortune<\/p>\n

Moore went on to share the biggest misconception about winning big on the beloved game show, \u201cWheel of Fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople do think that it will change your entire life, you\u2019re going to start, like, dripping in gold and, you know, you\u2019re going to drive the fanciest of cars,\u201d she said with a smile. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I guess it really depends on what your passions and your values are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of fueling extravagance, the\u00a0history-making win\u00a0gave Moore a fresh perspective on money and priorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it really kind of keeps you humble and makes you really value everything that you want to make purchases for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Moore, who went by Michelle Loewenstein, won $1,026,800 just days after returning from her honeymoon in 2008. Instagram \/ @ryanseacrest<\/p>\n

As \u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d enters a new era, the show\u2019s first millionaire is happily looking back not just on the money, but on the moments she described as \u201ca very surreal, out-of-body experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Fox News Digital asked what happens off camera that might surprise fans, she said the iconic show runs with remarkable precision.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt actually happens fairly quickly \u2026 they shoot like six shows a day. Fascinating \u2014 I think they only shoot six weeks a year \u2026 it\u2019s a very well-oiled machine,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just really kind and just feel like they\u2019re your friends when they\u2019re there. I mean it was back when Pat was there, so it was very different \u2014 it was wonderful \u2026 a really incredible experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moore\u2019s road to \u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d took years of persistence.<\/p>\n

Moore claimed she didn\u2019t get the full money and used her winnings toward practical expenses instead of luxury ones. Carol Kaelson<\/p>\n

She said she applied repeatedly \u2014 starting at a young age \u2014 before finally getting noticed after\u00a0moving to California.<\/p>\n

The historic winner also reflected on her experience with longtime hosts Pat Sajak<\/a> and Vanna White<\/a>, saying their off-camera warmth matched what viewers saw on-screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were as kind as could be,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cVanna came in to check in on us when we were just sitting in the room waiting, and it was just so nice. They\u2019re just very relatable. They don\u2019t seem like celebrities \u2014 they were just very warm.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Nearly two decades later, the mom of three shared with Fox News Digital that the milestone still feels meaningful \u2014 especially knowing only women have reached\u00a0millionaire status on the iconic game\u00a0show since.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s fascinating that only women have won \u2018Wheel of Fortune\u2019 as millionaires \u2014 girl power!\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI miss Pat. I love Ryan, but I miss Pat. I wish he was still there. I still am holding out hopes of taking Vanna\u2019s job one day,\u201d Moore laughed. <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause that would be fun. I\u2019d love to get dressed up all day and do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In June 2023, former longtime host Sajak announced he would be exiting the show. A week later, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest would take over as host<\/a> in Season 42.<\/p>\n

\u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d premiered on television in 1975. Sajak started hosting in 1981, with co-host White joining him the following year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spinning into seven figures on \u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d may sound like a life-changing dream \u2014 but the show\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429497,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[49,48,361,75,9313,178977,136590,178978,178979],"class_list":["post-429496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-millionaires","tag-pat-sajak","tag-ryan-seacrest","tag-vanna-white","tag-wheel-of-fortune"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}